384 VULTURID.E GYPS 



Gyps kolbi, Blytli, Ibis, 1870, p. 157 ; Gurnet/ in Andersson's B. 

 Damaraland, p. 5 (1872); SJuii^e, Cut. B. M. i, p. 8, pi. 1 (1874) ; 

 Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 358; Sharpe, cd. La yard's B. S. Afr. pp. 1, 

 793 (1876-84) ; Butler, Feilden, and Ecid, Zool. 1882, p. 166 [New- 

 castle] ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 237 [Mashonaland] ; Holub & Pelzeln, 

 Orn. Siid- Afr. p. 14 (1882) ; Distant, Transvaal, p. 69 (1892) 

 [Pretoria] ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 154 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. 

 Natal B. p. 136 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 254 [Mashonaland] ; 

 Beiclienow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 517 (1901). 



"Aasvogel," i.e., carrion bird or " Witte aasvogel" of Dutch. 

 "Xalanga" of Amaxosa (Stanford). "Inge" of Natal Zulus. 



Description. Adult. Head and upper part of the neck covered 

 with sparse dirty white down or hair ; at the base of the back of the 

 neck a ruff of decomposed dirty white feathers ; general colour of 

 the back including the wing and upper tail-coverts pale ashy-fulvous, 



FIG. 133. Gyps kolbii. x i. 



nearly all the feather with dark brown bases which here and there 

 show themselves, especially on the rump and upper tail-coverts, 

 giving a mottled appearance to these parts, a pale shaft stripe on 

 the lower back and rump ; primary quills and tail-feathers black, 

 the secondaries a little more ashy and tipped with pale ashy-fulvous ; 

 crop patch dark brown ; rest of the under- surf ace including the 

 under wing and tail-coverts white with a slight creamy tinge. 



Iris reddish-yellow or dark hazel ; bill horn colour ; cere livid ; 

 naked skin of head and neck, legs and feet, livid blue. 



Length 47-0; wing 28-0; tail 12-0 ; culmeu 3-40; tarsus 4-25; 

 weight of an adult 32 Ibs. (Distant). 



A young bird has the ruff composed of lanceolated brown-edged 



